Principal Software Engineer - Virtualization

General Motors•Milford, MI

5d•$171,150 - $288,500•Remote

About The Position

General Motors is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to shape and scale engineering platforms that build, test, integrate, validate, and deliver embedded software for software-defined vehicles. This hands-on technical leader will turn ambiguous, cross-team problems into durable architecture, practical standards, and measurable improvements in engineering effectiveness, release confidence, and product quality. The role leads a major capability across multiple teams, influences technical direction beyond the immediate organization, and connects software, tooling, infrastructure, testing, and release activities into a coherent engineering system. The position leads software engineering productivity and effectiveness efforts, identifies improvement opportunities and strategies, and drives change through high-impact hands-on work. It also includes coaching and mentoring, solving difficult problems, connecting initiatives, and guiding teams through innovation, learning, and simplification. Technical responsibilities include architecting enterprise-scale CI/CD systems for embedded, simulation, and cloud workloads; defining branching, release, and quality-gate standards; designing GitOps-based delivery for multi-cluster Kubernetes environments; leading progressive delivery with automated rollback and analysis; establishing Terraform-based infrastructure-as-code architecture; integrating security and compliance into pipelines and artifact flows; and setting observability standards for pipelines, simulation workloads, and runtime systems. The role mentors DevOps and simulation developers across the organization. The role is remote, with an expectation to report to a GM hub three times a week (or at another frequency set by the manager) if the employee lives within 50 miles of a hub. Travel is required for less than 25% of the role. Relocation benefits may be available to eligible candidates under company policy. The salary range is $171,150–$288,500, with actual salary dependent on relevant factors and geography. An incentive pay program provides payouts based on company, job-level, and individual performance. Eligible employees may participate in a company vehicle evaluation program after a motor vehicle report review; participants generally must purchase or lease a qualifying GM vehicle every four years, subject to limited exceptions.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in software engineering or equivalent experience.
12 or more years of experience in software development.
Deep understanding of software architecture for real-time systems.
Experience shipping high-quality safety-critical products.
Exceptional problem-solving and analytical abilities, with keen attention to detail.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Demonstrated ability to work in an action-oriented decision-making environment.
Deep Kubernetes knowledge, including cluster operations.
Strong Terraform and infrastructure-as-code experience, including production-grade module design.
Experience with embedded or simulation workflows such as vECUs, SIL, FMU, or SSP.
Cloud architecture experience across AWS, Azure, or GCP.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in software engineering or equivalent experience.
15 or more years of experience in software development.
Experience in automotive, aerospace, defense, industrial, or another embedded, real-time, regulated, or safety-critical environment.
Knowledge of functional safety, ISO 26262, cybersecurity engineering, ASPICE, MISRA, AUTOSAR, or related engineering practices.
Experience with vehicle-level integration and validation, including SIL, CoSIM, vECU, HIL, benches, physical systems, or other virtual and hardware-based environments.
A record of creating enterprise standards, platform strategies, technical communities, developer self-service, reliability objectives, or measurable productivity improvements.
Advanced degree in a related technical field.

Responsibilities

Lead software engineering productivity and effectiveness initiatives, identifying opportunities and strategies and driving process improvements.
Lead high-impact efforts through hands-on technical work.
Communicate effectively and coach and mentor others.
Analyze unusual and difficult problems and connect initiatives to deliver greater value.
Guide teams through required innovation, learning, and simplification.
Architect enterprise-scale CI/CD systems for embedded, simulation, and cloud workloads.
Define branching, release, and quality-gate standards across multiple engineering domains.
Design GitOps-based delivery for multi-cluster Kubernetes environments.
Lead progressive delivery strategy, including automated rollback and analysis.
Establish infrastructure-as-code architecture using Terraform modules and multi-environment patterns.
Integrate security and compliance into pipelines and artifact flows.
Define observability standards for pipelines, simulation workloads, and runtime systems.
Mentor DevOps and simulation developers across the organization.
Lead a major capability across multiple teams, influence technical direction beyond the immediate organization, and connect software, tooling, infrastructure, testing, and release activities.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision benefits.
Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Accounts.
Retirement savings plan.
Sickness and accident benefits.
Life insurance.
Paid vacation and holidays.
Tuition assistance programs.
Employee assistance program.
GM vehicle discounts.
Incentive pay program with payouts based on company performance, job level, and individual performance.
Company vehicle evaluation program for eligible participants, subject to program conditions.
Relocation benefits for candidates who qualify under company policy.